“Maybe we have lost 70 points,” Fernando Alonso blames Alpine for ‘poor reliability’ of A522
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Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso has been in the form of his life this season but because of the reliability issues of the A522, has got very little to show for his efforts. The Spaniard has recently delved into the gremlins on his car and believes he could have had 60-70 points if the DNFs and bad luck not come his way.
Fernando Alonso has been super fast this season and has impressed people up and down the paddock for giving his all on the track, this is no small feat considering he is the oldest driver on the grid.
The former 2-time Formula One Champion put in a major shift in Austria to finish P10 after starting the race from the back of the grid. Alonso was slated to start from P8 during the Sprint race but because of an electrical issue was not able to take any further part and had no option but to start the Grand Prix from P20.
Many such unfortunate incidents have happened with him so far in the season and because of that, the 40-year-old has only got 29 points to his name. Esteban Ocon on the other hand after 11 rounds is way ahead with 52 points.
Fernando Alonso gives details about the problems that he has faced so far in the season
Fernando Alonso feels that he is driving at his level best this season and the point deficit that he has at the moment is not down to him but to the team. While talking about his season so far Alonso has said, “I’m very proud of my own job so far this year.”
“I feel probably at my highest level driving-wise, thanks to the experience as well, maybe at the level of 2012 and I have 20 points or something like that. It’s unbelievable.”
“Maybe we’ve lost 70 points, I guess, 60 points, if we count all the retirements, bad luck, and reliability. So it’s a very strange season.”
While Alonso has blamed the Alpine team for his poor haul of points, Team principal Otmar Szafnauer does not agree with the Spaniard and has blatantly dismissed his assessment.
While stressing about Alonso, Otmar said, “It’s not that we’re failing Fernando, there are several reasons why he hasn’t scored points.”
“I remember the battle with Mick Schumacher [at Imola], a touch made a hole in the sidepod. His defense in Canada against [Valtteri] Bottas cost him a penalty, just like in Miami.”
“Things like what happened on Saturday before the Sprint can happen to anyone. It’s not an Alpine problem.”
“We do not know what caused the problem, but everything indicates that it was a problem with the control unit, which is a part that we did not design, but that we bought.”
“Failed on an Alpine car because of our installation? I doubt it. But we must understand what has happened. We have to solve all the little problems so that they don’t reappear in the car. You never know what will be next, because otherwise it would already be resolved.”
The second leg of the 2022 season is due to start this coming Friday and after looking at what Fernando Alonso and Otmar Szafnauer have said about the Spaniard’s issue, it is going to be interesting to see how the A522 of Alonso would behave in comparison to Ocon who has had only a few issues.
The French Grand Prix is the home race for the Alpine Formula One team and in front of home fans, they certainly would be looking to put on a show and finish as high as possible on the grid.
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)